The Chair
by Pinstripes
Summary: Juste is feeling down and depressed. He doesn't know what the cause is so he goes to the only person he can think of. The psychologist. Will he survive The Chair?
1. Visitor 1

_AA: I'm REALLY, REALLY sorry. I just saw more sparks between Juste and Maxim than Juste and Lydie. I HAD to write something…Yes the psychiatrist is REALLY a sobered-up, less psychotic version of Dr. Baldhead from Guilty Gear. X3_

-Chapter 1-

"Now just keep telling yourself how that you have as much worth as any other normal person and maybe you'll maybe able to get over this whole 'denial' la-de-da… Well, at least we'll see how it goes until our next appointment."

"Y-y-yes, doctor. Thank you doctor."

The man wandered out of the room, although it could have been arguable whether he actually walked, since every twitch seemed to move him by one inch. He had to be tied to the chair when people talked to him or else he'd fall off. The doctor waved him off with a frighteningly bright smile and sat back in his chair, glancing at the list of appointments written down. He ticked off a name and looked at the next one down. "Well, well…"

BELMONT, JUSTE

"How peculiar." The Belmont family had always seemed like a nice, sane family to him. They took pride in not being utterly mad and there was that whole vampire slaying business, but he didn't like to pry. Juste was one of Simon's offspring's offspring, wasn't he? Knew the lad's mother, nice girl but he felt a little sorry for her. She had to take care of poor Simon (The old man was getting a little demented in his golden years). He hoped it wasn't catching on to the boys.

He watched the door expectantly, moving the paper down. It creaked open on cue. A young man walked in looking more then just a little nervous. This was mainly because he had just been attacked by the strange woman in the waiting room that smelt vaguely of cats. The doctor knew her, she came frequently, poor dear lost all her children during infancy. But he suspected it may have been the fact that her husband had eaten them that had destroyed her mind.

"Come in, come in… Sit down."

Juste looked around. First at the large bookshelf complete with a great number of books on the human mind behind the psychiatrist, then at the cracked leather sofa and note book and pen the man was holding. _Oh God, I'm really in a shrink's office. _He thought miserably, perching on the edge of the sofa.

"There's no reason to be worried now, Mister Belmont."

"Mm…" He poked one of the holes in the leather, gazing at his boots. Why had he decided to come? What a terrible idea… He was going to have to sit around for an hour whilst some old bloke tries to poke around in his head…

"Now why are you here exactly?" The doctor cracked his knuckles, holding the quill above the paper.

Juste shifted uncomfortably. "I've been feeling a little down recently…" He could hear the pen scratching against the paper, "… Uh, you know… Since I came back with Maxim and Lydie from that castle…"

"Continue."

"And… I can't quite figure it out. I thought you could help me."

The doctor rested his elbows on the desk, steepling his fingers. It was a nice desk, made of mahogany and fancily carved. "Juste, let's go back a while…"

He groaned mentally. _Here we go… Tell me about your childhood, blah, blah, blah…_

"Tell me about your childhood."

He shrugged. Whatever he was going to do, he was _not_ going to lie down on the couch like they always did and weep about some pathetic past of his. Truthfully he had, had quite a nice childhood. "I don't know. Mother and father never did anything wrong, uh… I have a brother and a younger sister… I… uh, got on with my family…" He remembered his childhood well. Most of these memories were of stealing his sister's doll and _then_ being beaten up by his brother and running off with Maxim and Lydie so he could complain and feel even worse because even _Lydie_ could climb a tree when he couldn't. And she was a _girl._

"Who were your friends?"

Stupid question. "Maxim and Lydie of course!"

The doctor nodded. He remembered them all hanging around together when they were about ten. "And you still get on with them?" Juste nodded. "Good. Well…" He shuffled through some papers, peering over the top of his glasses, "… Has anything happened recently to upset you?" Stupid question number two, but it was necessary.

"Yes, I guess… Lydie was kidnapped and Maxim and I had to save her and then Maxim got taken over by Dracula's soul and it was really weird and…"

The usual for the Belmont family then…

"… And then we all came home."

"Hmm… Tell me about your relationship with Lydie."

Juste shrugged again. "We're friends. I mean, we've known each other since we were children and she's always been there for me. Well… Apart from when she was kidnapped and all that, she couldn't really be there for…" He trailed off, realising how irrelevant he was being.

"And, Maxim?"

Juste paused. "We're good friends." He said sharply, folding his arms and leaning against the back of the sofa. He looked distracted, pretending to be examining his gloves.

"Ah-ha. Has he done anything to annoy you?"

"What do you mean, 'ah-ha'! He hasn't done anything!" He frowned.

The doctor smiled thinly. "Okay then, what _hasn't_ he done?" There was a long silence, in which the relic hunter shot him a foul look and fiddled with his hair. The doctor nodded. This was a break through. He was starting to suspect something here. "Do you love Lydie, Juste?"

Juste looked genuinely shocked, sitting bolt up right and giving him a look of pure astonishment, "Good lord, no, she's a friend. I can't imagine her as anything else!" He laughed shakily, shaking his pale head.

"Okay then. That's one possibility off the list…"

"I'm happy for her." He said simply.

"Why are you happy for her?"

"Haven't you heard? Maxim proposed to her." He sounded oddly regretful, poking his finger in one of the holes in the leather. "She's still thinking about it."

That was probably one of the most significant things he'd said since they began. "How do you feel about it, Juste?"

He didn't say anything for a second, drawing one knee up to his chest and resting his chin on it. He was obviously thinking hard about it. "I'm happy for her." He repeated eventually.

"What about Maxim?"

"What about Maxim? He's… going to be happy."

"You keep saying _they're_ going to be happy but what about _you_, hmm? You don't seem comfortable with it at all."

"Of course I am!"

"You answered that a tad too quickly. The truth please, Juste."

He knew. He could tell, he may as well word it for him. Juste took a deep breath, "I'm _not_ happy at all! I hate Lydie for even considering saying yes and I hate Maxim even more for what he's doing to me and for asking her in the first place! I hate them both!" He breathed out, pulling up his other knee and staring in his lap, forehead on his knees. "They're meant to be my friends." He muttered.

"What's Maxim doing to you? Has he hurt you?"

"Yes."

The doctor didn't say anything, hoping he would continue of his own accord. He found too much provocation didn't help in these matters. If it wasn't forced out of him then maybe it would be a little more from the heart. He had a hunch that that was where everything was coming from.

"… He barely even notices me when we're with Lydie. I saw it whilst we were walking back. He just doesn't…"

"You want him to notice you?"

"For goodness sake, yes I want him to notice me! Haven't you been listening!" Juste snapped, glaring at him, "I was so worried about him whilst I was traipsing around in that stupid, bloody castle! I… I… I can't stand how he still only sees me as just a-" He stopped himself, turning away looking embarrassed and sounding strangely subdued. "I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me."

"Just a friend? Is that what you were going to say?" The other nodded. "I think you should tell me exactly how long you've been in love with Maxim."

Juste shrugged. "I don't know. Since just before he went away on that training expedition two years back." He smiled dryly, looking tired. "Pretty stupid of me, eh?"

"Not at all, it's perfectly natural." He coughed, putting the paper down. "Have you tried actually telling him?"

He snorted. "Please."

"Honestly though, you never know."

"If he liked me back, he wouldn't have proposed to Lydie."

The doctor wasn't sure what to say for once, so he looked at his pocket watch instead. "Goodness the hour's almost up."

Juste looked relieved and got up. It hadn't made him feel any better, on the contrary it had made him feel a great deal worse. "I… Had better get going."

"Promise me you'll talk to Maxim? It'll help, you know."

Juste didn't say anything, just smiled and shrugged. "Thank you… I'm sure… I'll find this helped in some way later." Oh well, he had to sound grateful, just to be polite.

The doctor watched him leave. He felt sorry for him, but then again, he also felt sorry for the cat-reeking nervous wreck stumbling in. He was sure the Belmont would sort things out eventually. They always did, it was in the blood.


	2. Visitor 2

_AA: I'm sorry, I just felt so bad about being mean to poor Juste I had to write up another chapter. And yes, he still is THE DOCTOR. No name, people! It's much shorter than the last one but hey…_

"Last one tonight then?" The doctor called, peering out of the door. The waiting room looked eerily empty. It was very early though, only a few people booked appointments as late as this. He often got a little nervous at this time because those people were slightly more… in need of assistance. He was a little surprised to see the person he saw sitting on a chair in the far corner. What were the odds? He'd only seen this person's best friend yesterday. He studied his time table for confirmation. Yes, there it was.

KISCHINE, MAXIM

The receptionist nodded towards Maxim. "In you go, dearie, the doctor will see you now."

He nodded looking slightly more confident than Juste the day before had been. "Thank you…" He nodded at her and walked up to the door. The Doctor stepped out of his way and let him enter the office. Suddenly he didn't look as ready as he had outside.

There was a leather sofa and all.

Maxim perched on the edge of it exactly as Juste had done, wedging his hands in between his knees and looking smaller than he had first seemed. The long line of psychology books on the bookshelves were making him feel anxious.

"Well…" The doctor smiled at him, sitting down at his desk. "You're looking well, Mister Kischne!" Maxim mumbled something in reply, hanging his head and shivering. "Now, now, no need to look so worried. Just tell me what's up…" He said soothingly, resting his elbows on the desk, "You can tell me, I'm a psychiatrist. Maybe I can help…"

Maxim shrugged. "Mmm…" He muttered unhelpfully, twisting his ponytail and one hand. "… Don't know…" He said eventually.

"Come now. No need to be so shy, this is confidential between us! What kind of doctor would I be if I told the world your business?"

The young man relaxed, leaning back against the sofa. "Ever since Lydie, Juste and I returned from…" He faltered, then continued, "… You know… I've been feeling a little peculiar." He straightened out his waistcoat, still shivering despite the shirt he was wearing. "Every time I see or even smell blood it…" He blushed, looking away.

"It…?"

"It… Uh…" He pulled sharply on his ponytail and winced, "Sort of… turns… me on…" He muttered the last part, sinking down the sofa. "I'm sorry…"

"Why are you sorry? Don't worry, is there anything else?"

Maxim shrugged for the second or third time that session. "I always feel this urge to bite something and I almost walked into the tailors to buy a black cape… Am I going completely insane?"

The doctor smiled and shook his head, "Don't be silly… Now let's go back a little. How's life been treating you since you got back? I heard you've proposed to Lydie, how's that going?"

He groaned. "Don't ask me about that pleeease…" He whimpered, "… I feel like such an idiot… She said she'd think about it but I haven't heard from her yet…" He stared at his boots. "I bet she thinks I'm a complete psychopath."

"Well I just think she's a little taken aback. You two have always been friends haven't you?"

"Yes…" Maxim calmed down a little, smiling wearily, "It was always the three of us, Lydie, me and Juste. Maybe sometimes when I got older I wished it was just me and Lydie but Juste's always been a close friend. If Lydie says yes I'll ask him if he'll be my best man… But…" He blew a strand of hair out of his face looking tired, "… I think Juste's gone off me too… Every time I try and talk to him he goes all quiet and I don't think he trusts me anymore… He's supposed to be my best friend."

The doctor was desperate to repeat the conversation he'd had with Juste the day before to Maxim, but managed to hold himself back. It was confidential between patients and their psychologists. Well… He supposed he could drop hints… "Is he comfortable with you and Lydie?"

"How should I know? I haven't heard from him lately… He's avoiding me… But I guess last time I talked to him he said he was really happy for me."

Lies. "If you're sure…"

"What are you suggesting? That my own friend would lie to me?" Maxim froze, "You don't think _he_ likes Lydie do you? I mean, they've always just seemed like friends but you never know… That's probably why he's gone all moody on me recently, because he's jealous that I got there first!"

The doctor frowned. "Mmm…"

"You don't think so? It makes perfect sense, besides, what else could he be annoyed with me about? He _has_ to be jealous!"

The doctor shuffled some papers. He had completely the wrong end of the stick. He had to sort him out before he got himself entirely tied up with it. "Maybe it isn't being in love with Lydie that's upset Juste…"

"You have another explanation…?"

"Well…" He pretended to go through the papers. "… Maybe there's someone else he likes that he's upset with at the moment?"

Maxim laughed curtly. "I'm sure he would tell me if there was someone else, we've told each other everything since we were little."

"What if he's too embarrassed?"

"Why would he be embarrassed?" Maxim snapped indignantly, "It's not as if he's done something terrible!"

"… What if…" The doctor coughed, not sure whether or not to continue, "This is just a hypothesis, Maxim, but what if he's in love with _you_?"

Maxim stopped in his tracks, face a picture of shock. And then he laughed, "What a bizarre idea!" He managed through short bursts of laughter, "You have to be joking… Juste isn't gay, he'd have told me."

"Mmm, I'll leave you to think that one over then." He glanced at his watch. Five minutes left. "As for your little… Blood problem, I suggest you wait and see if it wears off, if not come and see me again and I'll see if I can prescribe you something."

Maxim nodded, "Okay. Thanks by the way!" He stood up and cracked his knuckles, "I think I'll try and stop by Lydie's house… See how she's feeling…" And he walked out.

Well, well. What a stubborn man. What Juste saw in him was a mystery but he wasn't going to question his taste. He wasn't sure how to sort those two out but he was sure it could be done _somehow_. He just had to figure out what that somehow actually was though. He was sure a chat with Lydie would be enlightening but it wasn't as if she was going to come marching through the door anytime soon, now was it?


	3. Visitor 3

_AA: The last chapter! Huzzah!_

What were the odds? About midday, just after his lunch break (Which was spent wondering about what to do with Juste and Maxim and _how_ that woman who thought she was a roll of wallpaper survived. She said she'd been eating wallpaper paste since she was eight. Oh dear, perhaps that explained why she had started flirting with his walls…), the doctor peered down at his sheet. He couldn't help but smile. What _were_ the odds that someone like _that_ would arrive? Well, maybe not that, he'd had Dracula come stalking in because he was tired and no body liked him before, but that was besides the point.

ERLANGER, LYDIE

The door creaked open slowly. Right on time.

"Umm…" Lydie stepped in, glancing around. "Hello…" She smiled politely at him and sat down on the sofa quite normally, "If I may ask, please don't tell my mother I'm here…" She gave him a nervous little grin and sat up straight.

"Good afternoon, Miss Erlanger! What brings you here then?" He was hoping she'd be a lot more open with him than either Juste or Maxim had been. He had figured out why Juste was so smitten with the other though. He had decided that two men of such stubbornness had to be attracted to each other at some point. Also they had been friends as long as anyone he knew could remember.

Luckily it seemed that the young woman was more than happy to open up her heart to him. She seemed confident in herself, more so than the last two. Maybe it was just that she knew exactly what she wanted to come of this session and why. She wasn't as confused, nor as dainty as she liked people to believe. She could stand up for herself generally. Perhaps not physically but she could pretty much talk the talk.

"You've probably heard about Maxim proposing to me… Everyone has it seems… I had hoped no one would find out but there's nothing I can do about it now…"

"Indeed I have, you two are the talk of the town…" He nodded, "Why did you not want anyone to know? I'm sure your mother was very pleased to hear it, she does like Maxim."

Lydie looked vaguely irritated at the mentioning of her mother. "_Her!_" She cried with some annoyance, "She's just happy at the idea of dressing me up in a pretty little wedding dress. She treats me like I'm some five year old!"

"Go on…"

"She's been like it ever since I became friends with Juste and Maxim, she said it wasn't proper! Honestly, that's so old fashioned… I'd much rather be friends with those two than any of the other girls she tried to get me to make friends with when I was younger. And she embarrassed me so much when she sent me out dressed up in pink like a little piglet! I have nothing against pink but…" She toyed with the sleeves on her plain black and white dress, "She never did understand."

No. Lydie wasn't that girly. He hadn't seen her wearing pink since she was ten. Maybe her mother had put her off it. He had to admit though, that woman had dolled her daughter up like she was a mini princess, bows and matching shoes, etcetera. She had looked a bit of a sight, a regular little lady. Unfortunately it hadn't suited Lydie too much. He couldn't imagine the young woman she had grown up to be ever dressing up so flamboyantly.

"Anyway, back to the wedding…" He coughed, thumbing through his papers.

She sighed, shaking her head, "Mother's ecstatic. She always did prefer Maxim to Juste… I quote her on, 'He always did seem a little more reliable than the Belmont boy'…" She blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. "What nonsense. Juste can keep better time than Maxim. And that old witch called him a fop!"

"You like Juste then?"

Lydie look mildly annoyed, "As in… Love Juste? Well, more like a brother than anything. It's just that 'fop' really got me going."

"Well Juste is rather… Desired. A lot of girls I know would like to be wed to him." The doctor admitted, mentally grinning.

"He won't be too happy when I tell him that, doctor." Lydie chuckled softly, "He made me promise not to tell anyone but…" She leant in, as if sharing a great secret, "… Dear old Juste doesn't exactly like women, not in that way."

The doctor gave a start, "You know?" He managed.

"Of course I do! Me and Juste are like _this_." He locked fingers to show, "We're like siblings. He's never _not_ told me anything. The whole business with Dracula though… It was a little disappointing he didn't want to tell me but I guess he was looking out for Maxim in a way."

"When did he tell you he was in love with Maxim then?"

Lydie thought about it. "About two years back. Before Maxim went away. He came around my house in a tizzy and asked if we could talk about something. I hadn't guessed at the time but it seemed like it was very important so I let him in. He told me then. He was heartbroken when Maxim left and I think over that time he sort of became more like a brother then a friend."

The doctor sat back, staring at his shoes.

"Mother had half guessed I suppose. She didn't like me hanging around with him and said some pretty cutting things about him."

"But she likes Maxim?"

Lydie chuckled harshly, "She _adores_ him. After all, since he came back from that training expedition he's a 'man'." She shook her head, "Ah well, he'll always be little Maxim who I used to play 'knock the vampire on the head to kill it' with, to me."

Ah yes, "Knock the Vampire on the Head to Kill It". He remembered the young trio playing it. Lydie was always the vampire because she liked wearing things that swished. Actually she had been quite good with the 'Blegh blegh' noises. The boys would be wearing an array of kitchen utensils and sometimes even managed a wooden sword. Juste always got terrified and had to hide behind Maxim, who then got equally scared and they both ran off crying. Good times.

The doctor looked surprised, "You don't want to marry him then?"

The young woman looked a little uncomfortable, "Well, no, not really. This whole thing is really stressing me out. I couldn't do this to Juste, and I wouldn't want to anyway. We're far too close to be anything more than good friends. It wouldn't feel right…" She sighed deeply, "I'm just looking for a polite way to say no."

"Well to be honest there isn't one."

"Well… I was thinking maybe I could… You know… Uh, find a reason not to?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Somehow I feel that wouldn't work."

Lydie looked strained. "Okay, okay. But… Hey, doc? Can I practice on you?" She stood up, "You know, practice saying 'thanks but no thanks'? It might help a little."

The Doctor blinked at her, "Uh, well… If you think it will then I don't see why not."

"Excellent!" She clapped her hands, smiling brightly, "Now, Doctor, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't laugh or smile whilst I'm doing this… No, no, I said no smiling and stand up, please!" She frowned slightly, "You're… putting me off!"

"Sorry!" He got up and stood in front of her. "Is that better?"

"Much." She dusted down her dress. "Go ahead, ask me."

"Ahem… Lydie? Will you marry me?"

Lydie took a deep breath, opened her mouth to speak and then… began to giggle helplessly. "I-I-I'm s-s-sorry! I just thought of marrying _you_ and… and…" She caught his expression and lowered her gaze, "… Uh, I mean, sorry." She coughed nervously.

"Let's give this one more go." The Doctor tried to keep a straight face. "Lydie, will you marry me?"

Lydie drew a circle on the floor with the toe of her boot and said very levelly, "No, Maxim, I'm sorry. I can't see us as anything but good friends… You do understand, don't you?"

The Doctor smiled, "Very good. But there's no way to tell what will happen in real life."

The young woman sat down, sighing deeply, "I wish it could be simpler. Then everything would work out rather splendidly… Maybe if Maxim would take a good look at Juste then…" She shook her head, "Oh well. I had best get going." She stood up and nodded at the Doctor, "Thank you, you've been a great help to me."

"It was nothing, Miss. Erlanger." He rose and opened the door for her. "I hope you sort everything out."

"I will." She smiled uncertainly and wandered out.

He hoped they would.


	4. Epilogue

_AA: The epilogue. I couldn't just leave it at that could I?_

**The Chair:**

**Epilogue**

"Maxim…? Are you okay?"

Maxim glanced up, "… Hey, Juste… I'm fine…. Honestly…"

Juste sat next to him, perching uncertainly on the wooden fence. It wasn't that he was nervous; he just didn't trust the fence to hold both of their weight… Yeah… That was it. He peered at his friend from under his hair. He hated seeing him so upset. "No you're not… I heard the news about Lydie…"

He snorted, resting his elbows on his knees and sighed deeply. "So it's spread?" He gave a groan, "I'll be a laughing stock… The loser no one wants to marry."

"Don't be silly…" He put an arm around him, not resisting the urge to lace his fingers through his hair, "… You'll find someone… And no one will make fun of you. I promise. If they dare then I'll… I'll… I don't know. Beat them up."

The other laughed, shaking his head, "Juste beating someone up! Oh dear…" He smiled at him, "But thanks anyway… You're a good friend." There was an awkward silence.

He coughed and attempted to change to a less… sensitive subject. "So… How's the blood problem?"

A blush came over his cheeks as he remembered. "Getting better… Sometimes it's hard to walk by the butcher's though. Maybe _that's_ why she didn't like me. She still thinks I'm a blood sucking vampire out to drain her dry. No wonder…"

Juste shook his head, "No! No… Maxim, she's mad not to want to marry you… I can think of lots of people-" He was careful to drop a hint and say 'people' rather than girls, "- would kill to be in her position… She just doesn't think of you like that." Maxim opened his mouth to protest but he continued, "And neither does she think of you as a blood sucking vampire. We're her friends, Maxim… She doesn't want it to be any different."

"You've been talking to her then?"

The relic hunter squeezed his shoulder, "Only because I've felt like I've been losing my best friends since we came back… I've been so worried that you two would just disappear off into the sunset and leave me behind feeling… well… I care about you too much to let you just leave…" He sighed and looked away, dropping his hand.

Maxim blinked, slowly putting two and two together. "… Juste…? Don't laugh at me but… I went to see a shrink."

"Oh? Me too… The doctor who works at the surgery near the crazy woman's house?"

"Uh-huh. I asked about you… He said something crazy…"

"Oh?" He tried not to let it show but he was panicking. What if the doctor had told him that he… Oh god. He had to keep patient confidentiality right!

Maxim tilted his head and looked for tell-tale signs. "That… maybe you… liked me as more then a friend?" Juste bit his bottom lip, flushing pink. "… Was he on to something there?"

Juste gave up. He brushed his hair out of his face and turned to face him, nodding shyly. "Mm. For… a couple of years now…" He admitted. "I… I hated it when you left to train and when you came back you were obsessed with Lydie and… and I know it's selfish but I only came along because I had a silly idea that if I helped you you'd like me…"

"Does Lydie know?"

Another nod. "I told her when you left. She's been really supportive…"

He looked so forlorn he couldn't help resting an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Juste… Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why d'you think?"

"Oh…"

There was a silence and Juste rested against his head against his shoulder, closing his eyes. He let out a sigh and moved away, "I'm sorry, Maxim." He said softly, giving him a sad little smile, "I just go and complicate everything, don't I?" He stood up and made to walk away.

Maxim gripped his arm, "Don't go… please." He pulled him back gently and put his arm back around him. "Let's just sit here and… I don't know…" His voice and trailed off.

"… I… like that idea…" He answered, nuzzling against his side, "I like it."


End file.
